Extinction Arc One: Decisions
by Mr.Isaac
Summary: 20 years in the future, a phenomenom deemed 'Neo Evolution' causes vast disruption and fear worldwide. This story follows a few select characters in their efforts to live, and save lives, in a world hostile to them and their extraordinary abilities. OC AU


Chapter One: No Way Out

Sarah ran, turning down a side street then into a back alley. She could hear her pursuers close behind her always. Sprinting past a bewildered tramp, who clearly heard her footsteps but could see no one nearby, she forced her legs onwards. How long had she been running for? One hour, at least, and they had kept up with her, seeming constantly paces behind her.

She cursed their advanced heat vision, rendering her invisibility useless. Pausing for breath, she checked her satchel once more, containing the goal of her mission, the thing she had risked her life for. And she had no idea what it was.

A sudden revelation hit her like a bullet; disregarding what side they were on, she was no different from those chasing her. Unquestioning obedience, doing whatever she was told without needing to know why, without a single hesitation.

But that was disregarding which side she was on, and right now she was on the side which wasn't trying to destroy her kind.

A loud order interrupted her revelations: 'Shoot to kill! I can't have them getting away! You have no idea of the consequences if that package falls into the wrong hands!' Sarah took a deep intake of breath, she had lingered too long. They had her surrounded in this maze of alleyways. It was over. She'd failed.

Well, she was a soldier. She wasn't going down without a fight. She let herself become visible, and stood square in the middle of the alley awaiting her fate.

---

It was dawn in Moscow. Anton Demidov woke to the morning news on his alarm radio. 7:30, he'd overslept.

'Shit!' he swore in Russian. His phone lay silent by his bedside but the screen showed 3 recent missed calls. He'd have to deal with that later, right now his brain was just tuning in to what he was hearing on the radio.

'…so the United States government confirm their nuclear threat against Europe if our continent will not change its policy on evolved homosapiens. Up until now, only Britain has conformed to America's principal over these 'terrorists', so they would have us call them. In Moscow, President Titov has opened talks with the American Second Minister, hoping to settle this before nuclear warfare becomes a serious possibility. Today, he is hoping to…'

Anton groaned, he couldn't believe it had come to this. The United States had always tried to act as the Moral Compass of the Earth; which, as much as it infuriated Russia, kept an uneasy balance and peace between the two world powers. But now America had a magnet in her pocket and the needle was pointing the wrong way, and no one seemed to object. Britain had bowed down to America unquestioningly; the Middle East would never risk offending anyone, currently being too weak to pose a threat to anyone. Only Russia showed any sign of resilience, and even that was starting to crumble. Especially with every other member of Titov's government second guessing his every decision. What the future held was anyone's guess, but it was Anton's guess that it was not a bright one.

His phone rang again, and this time he answered it.

'Anton, you son of a bitch!' His partner sounded slightly irritated, he mused, smiling to himself. 'Do you ever pick up your phone?!'

'Evidently,' Anton said, unfazed by the berating from his friend. 'Listen, Jon, tell me you got the news this morning-'

'Yeah, I heard it,' Kashin's anger seemed to have subsided. 'One of the reasons I was calling actually. The president wants you, Anton. He's leaving for Washington tonight and you're going to be on the plane with him.'

'Me? Are you serious?' Anton was genuinely shocked, and not the least bit flattered. The president wanting him only meant he wanted someone who wouldn't hesitate to throw themselves in the path of a bullet for him. 'C'mon, Jon. You can't be… I'm pushing sixty; I'm too old for this now. I retired 5 years ago for god's sake-'

'He won't have anyone else, we can't risk an assassination, not now. It has to be you Anton, my friend.'

'What about you?! You could find any gunmen in a second, I can't do what you do Jon.'

'You really think they're going to let someone like me into the states, let alone DC. I'm a registered telepath! No, it has to be you. Anyway, I've got a more important job...'

Anton refrained from asking what could possibly be more important than protecting the Russian president, and stayed silent.

'Look, I can't talk anymore… Meet me at the usual place, at dusk. Do _not_ be late, Anton. I'll brief you there-'

The line went dead…

---

The AUTHORITY agents surrounded Sarah, ten or more of them had her pinned down on both sides. There was no way out. Two shooters stepped forwards from either side, their heat vision off to better aim at her now visible form. They lifted their semi-automatics up to their shoulders, took aim and fired.

Sarah snapped her eyes shut, unaware that around her the world was spinning in a blur, and reforming. The bullets didn't hit her, instead when she opened her eyes she caught a glimpse of the two shooters collapsing to the ground, having shot each other unwittingly. She was no longer in the path of the bullets, feeling the familiar sensation of nausea sweeping over her, she realised what was happening.

'Hex', she muttered.

Unable to suppress the rush of dizziness, she leant back against the wall, which was no longer there. In its place another alley had appeared, out of nowhere. Taking advantage of the bewilderment of the soldiers, she regained invisibility and slipped back into her sudden escape route. But before she could get away completely unnoticed, the leader cried, 'There she is! She's escaping down that…how could you have not seen that- You idiots! Get that bitch now!'

But Sarah was already tearing through the alley; escape suddenly seemed more possible. Every few seconds the world blurred again, disorientating her, but the change was always to her advantage. An alleyway would pop into existence suddenly to her right, helping her evade the agents directly in front of her, or behind her a brick wall would suddenly appear where before there had been several agents firing at her.

Finally, she burst out into streetlight, thankful to be free of that continuously transforming maze. Behind her was a solid wall, which had become reality to aid her escape. She heard a squeal of tyres before a car lurched round the bend and screeched to a halt beside her, just as she became visible.

The passenger yelled, 'get in Sarah!'

She recognised him immediately, 'Hector! Oh shi- thanks you saved my neck! Why the hell weren't you at the rendezvous?!'

'Got side-tracked-' explained Sam, from the driver's seat.

'Listen, get in quick, Sarah. That walls not gonna be real forever!'

Sarah obeyed, falling into the backseat beside Chloe.

'Did you get it?' The other woman demanded excitedly.

'You better believe it- step on it Sam. We need to disappear quick!'

Sam jeered, 'shouldn't be a problem for you, soldier', before slamming down on the accelerator…


End file.
